Suicide and Law Enforcement - ncjrs.gov

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2 SheehanIllustration: Lisa Foundos and Sharon JacobyiSuicide and Law EnforcementA compilation of papers submitted to theSuicide and Law Enforcement Conference, FBI Academy, Quantico, Virginia, September C. SHEEHANS upervisory Special AgentFederal Bureau of InvestigationJANET I. WARRENA ssociate ProfessorUniversity of Virginia EditorsWashington, book is dedicated to those valiant survivorswho have felt despair but resistedthe impulse to September 1999, the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) continued the tradition ofidentifying a significant issue confronting the law Enforcement community then issuing a "call toarms" to recognized experts and practitioners. This resulted in a BSU-hosted conference on suicideand law Enforcement at the FBI Academy, Quantico, Virginia. The purpose of this gathering ofprofessionals from many disciplines was to discuss the impact of Suicide on the law enforcementprofession.

3 Law Enforcement officers, psychologists, attorneys, chaplains and employee assistanceprofessionals, as well as other interested parties, gathered together to focus on various aspects ofsuicide and law book contains the results of their efforts. This important work would not be possiblewithout the forward-thinking efforts of the men and women of the FBI's BSU. Dr. Janet I. Warrenhas continued the University of Virginia s long record of collaboration with the FBI by providingher assistance in this project. They all worked tirelessly to put together a program that broughttogether a "world class" gathering of professionals who, for 1 week discussed the pain and sufferingbrought on by this phenomenon plaguing the law Enforcement profession. After careful review andvetting by the conference participants, we compiled this work to focus additional attention and tostimulate continuing research into this dark side of our profession.

4 Law Enforcement , at the beginning of a new century, is more challenging then ever. Lawenforcement professionals confront the grim realities of a society struggling with the specter ofviolence in every aspect of life. Policing this violence-tinged society are law Enforcement tall, they confront, not the made-for-TV world of violence, but the real world of death anddestruction. Inevitably, these officers acquire the psychological baggage the professionals gatheredfor this conference work everyday to better such as this are not possible without the close cooperation between the FBI and themany law Enforcement and educational institutions represented in this work. Cooperation hasbecome a hallmark of the FBI as we confront the wide variety of challenges facing law enforcementon the streets or in the classroom.

5 Cooperation is a critical success factor in the 21st century. As agrateful member of the law Enforcement profession, to all of those whose contributions make thisbook possible, I say, thank you. James K. Schweitzer Chief, Instruction SectionFBI AcademyviviiFOREWORDA mong the many enemies faced by law Enforcement officers, Suicide stands as one of themost constant. It remains the least identifiable of our foes because we hide thoughts of it withinourselves. We often mask the desire to do ourselves harm behind feelings of denial andrationalization. The fact embarrassed officials report some police suicides as accidental makestatistics on police suicides/unreliable. A Quebec, Canada, survey regarding police Suicide listed the top 18 reasons police officerscommit Suicide , in order of importance.

6 Purely occupational issues did not surface until the 13thitem. Attitudes concerning life comprised the premier issues. Many spend an inordinate amount oftime gathering statistics regarding this dilemma, but I agree with Karl Menninger. He stated attitudesoutweigh facts. Attitudes must change so that statistics must study the phenomena of law Enforcement stress more. Some focus considerabletime and talent in researching this behavior, but we must do more. I am proud of the efforts of theFBI's Training Division and the individual interest of my successor, Supervisory Special AgentDonald C. Sheehan, for publicly and professionally facing this critical issue in the lives of lawenforcement officers and their families. Dr. Stephen R. Band, Chief of the Behavioral Science Unit,supported the purpose of this conference, addressing Suicide and law Enforcement and subsequently,the conference itself.

7 I spent 18 years working in the BSU and I am pleased that the work we begancontinues. I applaud them for choosing this topic in a day and age when authorities give moreattention to the hardware and operational aspects of law Enforcement than to the well-being of write about the existence of law Enforcement stress, Suicide , alcohol abuse and maritaldiscord. Few, however, have ever provided legitimate statistics accurately representing the lawenforcement profession. The issues of stress, Suicide , substance abuse and marital discord exist invirtually every walk of life. Why then, must we pay particular attention to their occurrence in lawenforcement? When the Roman Emperor Augustus appointed a Praefectus Urbi in 27 , heestablished policing as an institution, one that has survived over 2,000 years.

8 The importance ofpolicing rests on the fact that all surviving societies have a well-established, respected, lawenforcement authority. Our law Enforcement officers comprise an element essential to our survivalas a continues as a behavioral problem in our society. Suicides outnumber homicides 3to 2. Suicide has plagued mankind throughout the ages. As a form of human behavior, it has beenjudged from many different perspectives. For thousands of years, in ancient and primitive cultures,the phenomenon of taking one's own life met with many judgments, attitudes and feelings. Suicidehas received responses ranging from outrage to views regarding Suicide have emerged. Historically, some societies looked uponsuicide as a sign of valor. Historians tell of Caesarian troops thwarting the attacks of Pompey untilit was known that they could not win.

9 Rather than face defeat and become prisoners, they allcommitted Suicide to avoid provides a background for our current view and opinions regarding , however, have changed in time and now we address issues regarding the individual'sacceptance of Suicide , the influence of stress and its influence in the Suicide decision, as well as themore recent issues surrounding "officer-assisted" must accept the task of moving into the 21st century with the renewed hope this act ofself-destruction will cease. Fortunately, as the 20th century closed, many law Enforcement trainersfocused on holistic wellness. The entire field of police stress seemed to realize the enemy withoutdid not cause the greatest amount of job dissatisfaction and self-destructive behaviors. The enemywithin posed the biggest threat. At the FBI Academy, a now-retired agent, John Minderman, createda course titled Contemporary Police Problems in the late 1970s.

10 I modified the course and titled itStress Management in Law Enforcement (SMILE). The Behavioral Science Unit currently teachesto the SMILE course to the FBI National Academy. Holistic wellness remains the major focus andincludes the area of awareness, involving spiritual, familial, personal and occupational issues. Wealso consider financial, nutritional, physical, emotional, leadership, retirement and social issues. Webelieve police officers can handle stress and subsequent self-destructive behaviors leading to divorce,alcohol abuse and Suicide by regaining control of their lives through an appreciation of book focuses on helping law Enforcement officers at all levels, as well as those whosupport law Enforcement , to understand Suicide . It neither offers officers' therapeutic solutions norexplains various psychological theories.